COMPOSERS: Respighi
LABELS: Decca
WORKS: Pines of Rome; Roman Festivals; Fountains of Rome
PERFORMER: Montreal SO/Charles Dutoit
CATALOGUE NO: 430 729-2 DDD (1983)
People in high places still tend to be snooty about Respighi. Yes, his music can be bombastic, even hollow at times, but the craftsmanship is impeccable and his slow movements in particular show he was capable of writing music of genuine substance and great subtlety. Dutoit, master of the Romantic-Impressionist French repertoire (to which Respighi was undoubtedly indebted), brings this out in his typically refined reading of the evergreen Roman triptych. Goes nicely with the classic Toscanini account (RCA). Antony Bye
Respighi: Pines of Rome; Roman Festivals; Fountains of Rome
People in high places still tend to be snooty about Respighi. Yes, his music can be bombastic, even hollow at times, but the craftsmanship is impeccable and his slow movements in particular show he was capable of writing music of genuine substance and great subtlety. Dutoit, master of the Romantic-Impressionist French repertoire (to which Respighi was undoubtedly indebted), brings this out in his typically refined reading of the evergreen Roman triptych. Goes nicely with the classic Toscanini account (RCA). Antony Bye
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:32 pm